It would be an understatement to say the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party has had an unusual fortnight. A disaster is more like it. But there are welcome signs that the party is starting to gather its wits and regroup. It may still be a formidable force come this June’s provincial election.

We certainly hope so. Kathleen Wynne’s tired and scandal-saddled Ontario Liberal Party has recklessly vandalized the once-envied economy of Canada’s most populous province. Recent improvements — linked to U.S. recovery, not any Liberal wisdom — cannot undo the damage that will be felt for generations thanks to the crushing debts, hydro costs and regulatory excesses that have piled up in 13 years of Liberal rule.

Ontarians desperately want another option. Up until recently, the PCs seemed to be it, and were within sight of winning the next election until leader Patrick Brown was brought down by a news report of sexual misconduct. This left the party leaderless mere months before the election.

The party quickly settled on Vic Fedeli as an interim leader; Fedeli, himself, despite obvious leadership ambitions of his own, wisely and graciously agreed to remove himself for consideration from the full-time job while he works to keep the party intact. The party’s executive (which also lost its president this week to sexual-assault allegations) has settled on a fast leadership race, with a high entrance fee to deter frivolous candidates. The new leader will be chosen March 10.

This is the right decision. The sitting caucus members seemed to prefer simply selecting one of their own, and there’s the appeal of simplicity there. But the problem with an opposition party’s caucus is that it’s not representative of the province at large. PC members who live in ridings where there is no PC MPP deserve their say in who the next leader should be. Nor are we convinced by arguments based on fears of disruptive outsider candidates — obviously they mean Doug Ford — seizing on the chaos.

Yes, the vote will cost money, and the PCs need every dollar for the upcoming general election. But democracy can’t be considered an inconvenience or a burden even amid crises. It’s the whole point, and a party that does not trust its own members should not be trusted with the entire province. Trust the members to choose, and then let Ontarians decide if they chose right.